1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a closing auxiliary device supplementarily used for closing an opening and closing member incorporated in an apparatus main body and an image forming apparatus, which is equipped with the closing auxiliary device and forms an image of an original on a sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that some pieces of the image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, are provided with an automatic sheet feeder (opening and closing member) which is attached to the surface of a document glass by a hinge so as to be openable and closable. The automatic sheet feeder has a function of sending automatically and continuously plural originals to the surface of a document glass. In the automatic sheet feeder, original pressing means for bringing the plural originals into contact with the document glass is provided in a plane opposing the document glass.
Some pieces of the image forming apparatus provided with the automatic sheet feeder have an auxiliary lever which opens and closes the automatic sheet feeder. The auxiliary lever is utilized for a wheelchair user and a child who cannot reach the automatic sheet feeder. For example, there is known the auxiliary lever in which a first grip and a second grip are provided in the original pressing means. The first grip opens and closes the original pressing means and the second grip is located below the first grip when the original pressing means is opened fully to open the document glass.
In the image forming apparatus having the auxiliary lever, the auxiliary lever is suspended from the automatic sheet feeder when the automatic sheet feeder is opened fully from the document glass. Therefore, the suspended auxiliary lever becomes a hindrance under the assumption that a wheelchair user or a child does not use the image forming apparatus. In this case, a stop lever is rotated to lock a stop portion so that the auxiliary lever is not suspended (for example, see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-344960).
However, when the automatic sheet feeder is opened, the second grip is suspended unless the second grip is not locked by the stop lever. That is, in the situation where a wheelchair user or a child uses the automatic sheet feeder, the auxiliary lever is always suspended and becomes a hindrance when a healthy person or an adult places an original on the document glass. When the auxiliary lever is locked by the stop lever for being a hindrance, there is a problem that a wheelchair user or a child cannot use the automatic sheet feeder.
Further, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2003-66544 discloses the closing auxiliary device including a closing auxiliary lever and a protruding piece and recess. The closing auxiliary lever is provided in the automatic sheet feeder while being able to be suspended when the automatic sheet feeder is opened. The closing auxiliary lever aids the closing of the automatic sheet feeder when maintained in an open state in which the automatic sheet feeder, attached to the apparatus main body vertically to be openable and closable, is opened at angles larger than a predetermined angle less than 90 degrees with respect to the apparatus main body. The protruding piece and recess control the rotation of the closing auxiliary lever in a direction in which the closing auxiliary lever is separated from an opening and closing base portion of the automatic sheet feeder when the automatic sheet feeder is opened.
In the image forming apparatus provided with the closing auxiliary device, there is a problem that the configuration becomes complicated and the apparatus becomes expensive.